DEARBORN – “I’d like to be perfect.”
That’s Divine Child quarterback Drew Sheridan talking about his hopes for the upcoming football season after he led the Falcons to a season-opening 56-28 conquest of Hudsonville Unity Christian on August 28, the same team Divine Child won a 23-22 thriller for the state Division 4 championship on the day after Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field.
Sheridan was near perfect, completing 16 of 19 passes for 261 yards and five touchdowns.
“Last year we wanted to win the state championship,” Sheridan said, “but that means nothing anymore, and Coach (Chris) Laney has been saying it’s about rebuilding. We’re gonna climb the mountain, back to the top, where we ended last year.
“I’d like to be perfect. I’d like to not throw interceptions," Sheridan added. "That’s a little unrealistic, but that’s my goal. And we want to go back to back, to be the first team in Divine Child history to ever do it.”
“The kids have 100% confidence in him,” Laney said. “He’s a three-year starter for us, and he’s won a lot of football games for us. His work ethic in the off-season is second to none, and I think the kids see that and feed off of that, and he’s a tremendous leader for us.”
Sheridan set the tone on the game’s fifth play from scrimmage, a 43-yard aerial to junior wide receiver, Amore Damphie, a step behind the opposing defenders in the end zone.
Unity Christian rallied to take a 16-7 lead. Sheridan responded with a 23-yard bullet to junior Rayshawn Thomas in the end zone to reduce the deficit to 16-13.
And it was only the first quarter.
Sheridan and junior wide receiver Rayshawn Thomas combined on a pair of TDs – a 37-yard ball he caught at the goal line and a 23-yarder open in the corner of the end zone -- to put the Falcons ahead, 27-16, at the half.
Sheridan threw his fifth touchdown pass, 14 yards to Gianni Joganic midway of the fourth quarter. The Falcons' remaining touchdowns were on the ground: eight yards by seniors Andre Davis Jr., one yard by Julian Johnson and seven yards by Adam Garcia.
“We had to make some adjustments,” Laney said. “The first couple of drives that they went on, I thought our defensive staff did a good job with that, and the kids responded. We know we have a good offense. We have to not hurt ourselves. And I thought tonight we didn't.
“You know, we got some good backs, but I think even more so, our guys up front are good," Laney added. "You know, we’re big, we’re physical, we can get on guys and kind of wear them down a bit, and I thought we did that tonight."
Still, Laney continued, the team has work to do.
"We’re going to have the target on our back," Laney said. "We’re going to get everybody’s best effort. And so, for us to continue to get better, that’s going to be important for us. We want to achieve some goals that we have down the road.”
The Falcons should be favored against their next six opponents. Warren De La Salle will be a test Oct. 17, then against Jackson Lumen Christi Oct. 24 in the Prep Bowl, which may decide the CHSL AA Division title.
Sheridan’s success begs comparison with two other outstanding Divine Child quarterbacks.
Probably the best-known is Gary Danielson, a 1969 grad. As the left side wide receiver in his junior year and quarterback in his senior year, he helped Divine Child win two Catholic High School League championships.
Danielson played college football at Purdue University from 1969 to 1972. He was the Boilermakers' starting quarterback in 1970-72. He played pro ball from 1973 to 1989, including with the Detroit Lions from 1976 to 1984. He had a broadcasting career from 1990 through 2025.
Theo Day, a 2018 grad, in his senior year completed 120-of-203 passes for 1,622 yards and 16 touchdowns and also rushed for 878 yards and 13 touchdowns. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans (2018-2020), where he had little opportunity, and transferred to the Northern Iowa Panthers (2021-2023), where he earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors in 2022.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected]
